Ventilated molded shoes



March 28, l fi'? s o s 3,3105? VENTILATED MOLDED SHOES Filed OCT. 26,1964 Mum/m? [DMU/VD Pm/em United States Patent M 3,310,887 VENTILATEDMQLDED SHOES Edmond Stokis, 6 Square de la Gascogne, Paris, France FiledOct. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 406,236 7 Claims. (Cl. 363) foot and the sole anisolating and absorbing insole, but

such an insole is rapidly saturated and quickly loses its efficiency, asit cannot expel by itself perspiration products. Till now the variousproposed ways of ventilation have not been satisfactory whether becauseof their expense or chiefly because of their inefficiency.

The invention has for its object to overcome the foregoing disadvantagesby the realization of a synthetic material molded shoe in which simpleand cheap means allows the obtention of an effective internalventilation.

The shoe in molded material according to the invention has an insolewhich is constructed from a material which is flexible and non-toxic andinsoluble in water as well as in perspiration products; said sole beingpermeable and placed over means for eliminating water and perspirationproducts.

According to another feature of the invention, said insole is porous andsaid means for eliminating water and perspiration products are lateralvent-holes, which open, on the one side outwardly, above the shoe soleand, on the other side inwardly underneath said insole.

According to a further feature of the invention, said insole isperforated and the means for eliminating water and perspiration productsare channels of any shape, which are provided in the internal side ofthe sole and are covered by said perforated insole and in said channels,during walking, are accumulated the perspiration products, which areevacuated by evaporation through the perforations of said insole, whenthe shoe is not in use.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates embodiments of theinvention:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe em bodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial side elevational View of an embodiment of theinvention with a portion broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a partial plan view showing the sole upper face of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but of another embodiment of theinvention.

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view showing the sole upper face of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a mold assembly formolding a shoe according to the invention.

In all the figures the same reference numbers designate identical orsimilar elements.

According to the invention, the shoe has a sole 1, a heel 2 and an upper3. At the level of the upper face of the sole 1 are provided vent-holes4 of which the axes are substantially normal to the sole contour.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vent-holes 4 whichopen outwardly open also inwardly into the interior of the shoe, so thatthey open not only at their outer ends, but also at their upper innerends in the inner face of the sole 1. The open upper portion of thevent-holes 4, as well as the upper face of the sole 1, is covered by anunperforated insole 5, which may be fixed on the sole and the lateralwalls of the shoe, at the time of the molding of the shoe.

3,31,887 Patented Mar. 28, 1967 In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4and 5, the upper side of the sole 1 is provided with projections whoseintervals constitute channels 6 regularly distributed. The vent-holes 4provided laterally at the level of the inner side of the sole 1 openinwardly in the channels 6, as clearly shown in FIG. 5. Channels 6 areupwardly open and constitute by their respective crossing a netdistributed on the upper side of the sole 1. An insole 5, which in thisembodiment may be perforated and constituted by a synthetic non-toxicmaterial, covers the upper surface of the sole 1 and the channels 6;whereby is provided a divided air cushion between the insole 5 and thesole 1.

Of course, the distribution and arrangement of the channels 6 may bedifferent from that illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIGURE 6 shows partially a mold assembly particuularly arranged formolding the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. This mold assemblycomprises an upper member 7, a lateral member 8 and a lateral member 9.The internal cavity provided within the mold elements 7, 8 and 9 isadapted, in cooperation with an internal form (not shown), to mold in asingle operation a shoe with its sole 1 and its upper 3. Pins 10 arefixed to element 7 and penetrate within the internal cavity of the mold.After taking the shoe from the mold, the empty spaces left by the pins10 constitute the vent-holes 4.

The way of use of the shoe, according to the invention is the following.In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, during walking, theinsole 5 having some elasticity, causes the expulsion of the air whichis contained within its pores and which escapes through the vent-holes 4to the surrounding air; thus the perspiration products of the foot aredriven out. The ventilation thus obtained is very active, which isindispensable for maintaining the foot dry, when the ambient temperatureis high or very high.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and in which thevent-holes are closed or suppressed, the insole 5 being permeable orperforated, the perspiration products, during walking, accumulate in thechannels 6 and are expelled, when the shoe is removed, by evaporationthrough the permeable insole or the perforations thereof. Theelimination of the perspiration products thus obtained is satisfactoryin temperate or cold climates and the insole as well as the foot remaindry according to the main object of the invention.

Numerous vent-holes may be distributed along the contour of the sole 1.

Obviously, it is possible to provide perforations through the upper 3 ofthe shoe, in order to increase the ventilation.

The insole may be constituted from any porous or perforated non-toxicmaterial having some elasticity, insoluble and chemically inert inpresence of water and perspiration products.

In addition to the ventilation efficiency, the shoe, embodying theinvention, is advantageously washable inside and out, at will.

Various modifications and adjunctions might be brought to the aboveshoe, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, asfor the understanding thereof there are described and illustratedembodiments only by way of non-limiting examples.

Summary The invention is namely concerned with the followingcharacteristics and their various possible combinations. 1) Ventilatedshoe, in molded material, comprising an insole which is constituted froma non-toxic material which is flexible and rotproof and insoluble inwater as well as in perspiration products; said insole being permeableand disposed over means for eliminating water and perspiration products.

(2) The insole is porous and said elements for eliminating water andperspiration products are lateral vent holes which open, on the one sideoutwardly, above the shoe sole and, on the other side inwardly,underneath said insole.

(3) Said insole is perforated and said elements for eliminating Waterand perspiration products are channels of any shape which are providedin the upper side of the shoe sole and are covered by said insole; saidchannels collecting during walking the perspiration products which areexpelled by evaporation after removal of the shoe.

(4) Said insole is perforated.

(5) Projections are provided on the inner face of the sole in order toconstitute by their intervals said channels which are covered by saidinsole and in which eventually vent-holes open.

(6) Said vent-holes are distributed along the lateral contour of theshoe and the individual direction of each vent-hole is substantiallynormal to the sole contour.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising a unitary one-piece molded upper and outsoleconstructed from synthetic material and having means for eliminatingwater and perspiration products molded integrally therewith, and aninsole which covers said eliminating means and is of a non-toxic,flexible, rotproof material which is insoluble in water as well as inperspiration products but permeable thereto.

2. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, said eliminating means comprising aplurality of upwardly opening channels beneath the said insole.

3. A shoe as claimed in claim 2, said insole being porous.

4. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, said eliminating means comprising ventholes which extend through the shoe and are molded integrally in thematerial of the shoe and which open laterally outwardly through the shoeon the outer side of the shoe and which open beneath the insole on theinner side of the shoe.

5. A shoe as claimed in claim 4, in which said insole is porous.

6. A shoe as claimed in claim 2, in which said eliminating means furthercomprises vent holes which extend through the shoe and are moldedintegrally in the material of the shoe and which open laterallyoutwardly through the shoe on the outer side of the shoe and which openbeneath the insole on the inner side of the shoe.

7. A shoe as claimed in claim 6, in which said insole is porous.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 220,475 10/ 1879Hannaford 3 63 X 2,239,211 4/1941 Wylie 363 2,3 44,762 3 1944 Wylie 3 63FOREIGN PATENTS 1,067,144 1/ 1954 France.

845,766 8/ 1952 Germany. 520,407 3 5 Italy.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

1. A SHOE COMPRISING A UNITARY ONE-PIECE MOLDED UPPER AND OUTSOLECONSTRUCTED FROM SYNTHETIC MATERIAL AND HAVING MEANS FOR ELIMINATINGWATER AND PERSPIRATION PRODUCTS MOLDED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH, AND ANINSOLE WHICH COVERS SAID ELIMINATING MEANS AND IS OF A NON-TOXIC,FLEXIBLE, ROTPROOF MATERIAL WHICH IS INSOLUBLE IN WATER AS WELL AS INPERSPIRATION PRODUCTS BUT PERMEABLE THERETO.